


Parental Supervision

by misura



Category: Sky High (2005)
Genre: Multi, Parent-Child Relationship, Superheroes, Supervillains
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-21
Updated: 2014-12-21
Packaged: 2018-03-02 16:54:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2819435
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/misura/pseuds/misura
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One week before the wedding, Baron Battle escapes from prison.</p><p>"Really, honey, I don't think you should take this so <i>personal</i>," his mother tells him over the phone. She's in China, part of the team that's fighting the Wall. (It's a long story.) "He's a super villain; he spotted a chance to get out - it happens."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Parental Supervision

**Author's Note:**

  * For [blueyeti](https://archiveofourown.org/users/blueyeti/gifts).



One week before the wedding, Baron Battle escapes from prison.

"Really, honey, I don't think you should take this so _personal_ ," his mother tells him over the phone. She's in China, part of the team that's fighting the Wall. (It's a long story.) "He's a super villain; he spotted a chance to get out - it happens."

" _It happens_?" Warren has stayed at Will's place one time for a week. It's the only reference point he's got for what a typical couple of super-parents might look, act and sound like. "Mom!"

"Well, I'm sure they're going to catch him again soon. You know your father - he's always up to something. Doesn't like to just sit around." She sounds cheerful, fond, as if trying for world domination is just a fun, slightly eccentric hobby.

Warren wants to yell at her that actually, no he _doesn't_ know his father. Most of the time, he feels like he doesn't know his mother, either. Or anyone, really.

"So you don't think he did it because of me?" he asks instead. Calmly.

His father's given him two pieces of advise, the first time Warren came to visit him.

"Sweetie, _of course_ your father would like to be there at your big day. He loves you, you know that," his mother says. "I had his tux dry-cleaned three days ago, just in case."

The second piece of advise was: _never take any advise from me_.

"So does that mean _you're_ going to be there?" Layla's been nagging at him for days to give her his list of guests. As if she suspects him of having a whole bunch of friends and family hidden away somewhere that she doesn't know about.

"I'll be there in spirit," she says. "In my _heart_."

The first piece of advise Warren's father's given him is: _never try to break me out of prison_. At the time, it seemed like pretty good advise. Still does, actually.

"So you're not going to be there," Warren says.

"Oh, honey," his mother says.

 

He tells Layla because he wants to tell _someone_ , and he tells Will because Will happens to be there when he tells Layla.

"So I guess it's going to get kind of weird, huh?" Will says, because Will is one of those annoying people who is hardly ever at a loss for words. "I mean, with my dad throwing your dad in jail. Again."

Warren doesn't point out that maybe that's not how it's going to go down. (It is. Probably.)

"Is he going to come to the wedding?" Layla asks. Her expression is worried, probably because she's mentally going over the seating arrangement, trying to find a place, any place, that's not going to result in explosions and people getting thrown through walls.

"Of course he's not going to come to the wedding." Will chuckles. "I mean, come on, Layla. The guy's a super-villain, not ... "

"Not what, Stronghold?" Warren asks. He only uses Will's last name when Will annoys him. (They've agreed it's easier on their environment than Warren setting stuff on fire.)

"He's going to come to the wedding," Will says. "Oh my god. A _super-villain_ is going to be at the wedding. This is so bad."

"Relax. He'll be wearing a tux." Warren doesn't know why he feels less freaked out now that _Will_ is freaking out. Maybe it's a friends thing.

"Yeah," Layla says. "So I'm thinking we can put him next to my mom - you know her, she's totally easy-going. Any chance your dad's a vegetarian? Because that would really help break the ice. Oh, and he's not one of those guys who'll be bringing a giant robot or something, is he?"

"Naw." Baron Battle's motto has always been: either you bring _an army_ of giant robots, or you don't bring any at all. _It's a matter of not trying to look like you're compensating for something,_ he's explained to Warren once. _Style over substance, kid. That's the proper super-villain way._

_Style over substance._

 

The hunt is on: Warren tries not to get involved, and he mostly succeeds. Nobody expects him to know anything. Nobody expects him to _do_ anything - at least, not anything that's related to the search for the man Will's dad refers to in an interview as 'one of the most violent and dangerous super-villains of this century', right before solemnly promising to bring 'this escaped criminal' to justice.

Warren doesn't particularly like Will's dad sometimes. It's a mutual feeling, as far as he can tell.

"You think he's going to show up here?" Layla asks. 'Here' is the Paper Lantern.

Will's proposed they eat here 'for old time's sake'. Warren thinks they're kind of young to be doing things 'for old time's sake', but with Will, he's learned to pick his battles by now, and this is small stuff, not worth arguing about.

Zach tells him he's 'mellowing'. Zach's in Guatemala right now, fighting cave monsters. He's promised he'll be back in time for the wedding.

"No," Warren says. The menu hasn't changed since he worked here.

"My dad thinks he's planning something," Will says. "Something bad."

"How would your dad know?" Layla says.

"It's just - " Will flaps his hands a bit. "Well, it makes sense, doesn't it?"

"Maybe he's just out shopping for a really good wedding present," Warren says. Joking, obviously.

"Yeah." Layla beams at Will. "Like a solar-powered toaster or something. I've heard they make those now, in Japan."

"Huh. I'll pick one up, next time I'm there." Will flies to all corners of the world on a weekly basis. His face is on cornflakes boxes in at least twenty-three countries.

 

"Are you nervous?" Layla asks. Sitting in a tree that was just an applecore a couple of seconds ago.

Warren considers the question. He tries to be honest with Layla, if only because she's a lot more devious than Will when it comes to making him feel sorry about lying to her.

"No. Are you?" You can't really burn someone 'just a little'. Warren's learned by now to make snap decisions, to get his priorities straightened out and choose a side.

 _If you want to be a winner, be a hero,_ his dad told him once.

"Hey," Layla says, reaching for his hand. (He lets her take it. As always.) "Hey. We're a pretty good team, you know? You and me and Will. Whatever happens, we'll see it through. I promise."

"Yeah," Warren says. "We're just friggin' awesome, aren't we?"

 

The wedding ceremony takes place in the open air, partially because it's practical and partially because Layla likes it that way. Also, some of the guests _have_ brought giant robots.

Will's parents are there, and Layla's mom, sitting next to an empty chair for maybe half an hour before a family of chipmunks takes possession of it.

There are no explosions. No killer robots or fleets of zeppelins show up.

Zach is there, and Magenta, and the girl with ice powers and her girlfriend, and a bunch of people Warren could have sworn he's never met, except that apparently, he has. Will's grabbed one of his arms and Layla's grabbed the other, and the three of them make the rounds.

Warren's mom is there, dancing with - 

"Mom!"

She beams at him. "Honey! Layla! Will! Oh, I do hope you'll like the solar-powered waffle iron we got you - we got it in Japan. It's all the rage there, apparently."

"We haven't opened any presents yet, actually," Layla says. "But thank you. It sounds wonderful."

"Hi, Mrs Peace," Will says. He's met Warren's mom once; she pinched his cheeks and pronounced him to be 'a cutie'. (Layla thought it was very funny.) "And Mr ... ?"

Will is terrible at being subtle. It's one of the few things he and Warren have in common.

"I believe you know who I am, young Will Stronghold," Baron Battle, Warren's father says.

"I'm sorry, but I hadn't seen him in _ten days_ ," Warren's mother says. "And he so wanted to come."

"He's been in solitary for _fifteen years_ ," Warren says.

"Well, but as long as he was in prison I could go and see him every day," his mother says. "It was really very convenient for everyone."

"I learned how to crochet," his father says. "And knitting."

"He was going to knit you three kids matching scarves. You know, for when you're saving the world in colder climates. But I put my foot down - I told him, dear, don't be foolish now. You - "

"Is there a problem here?" Will's dad. Backed up by Will's mom.

Warren feels the way Layla and Will both move a little closer to him. His mouth feels dry. He's lied to Layla the other night, he realizes; he _is_ nervous about this.

_Your friends will be your greatest strength and your greatest weakness._

"No," Will - of all people - says. "No problem, dad. Just making the rounds, saying hi to the guests."

"Right. Well, there's music - Mrs Peace, may I have this dance?"

Will's mom dances off with Warren's father. It's weird, but sort of okay. Will and Layla fall back a little, relaxing.

"I like waffles," Layla says. "Waffles are good."

"Yeah," Will says.

"You're both idiots," Warren says. _Matching scarves,_ his mother said.

He's never wanted to have anything so utterly ridiculous in his life so badly.


End file.
